Barkha Singh belongs to Congress, cannot be 'unbiased' as DCW chief: Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday justified proposing the name of writer Maitreyi Pushpa for the post of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), stating that the current chief Barkha Shukla Singh, who belongs to the Congress Party, would not be able to perform her duties in an unbiased way.

"Barkha Singh belongs to the Congress, and everyone knows it. She even contested elections as a Congress candidate. And, if she is the chairperson of Delhi Women Commission, she is certainly not doing an unbiased job. She is doing politics there. We want someone who is unbiased," he told media here today.

"And Maitreyi Pushpa is a very well known literary person. If she becomes a part of the DCW, the value of the institution will be higher," he added.

Earlier on Wednesday, Barkha Singh accused the Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of removing her from the post after she had acted against state Law Minister Somnath Bharti for conducting a midnight raid at the house of a Ugandan national.

"Women came to me with their complaints, then what will I do as DCW chief? If he (Somnath Bharti) is Aam Aadmi (common man) he should have come. If they are removing me because of this, then it is wrong," she said.

The Delhi Government has proposed writer Maitreyi Pushpa's name for post of DCW to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung.

Earlier on January 24, Somnath Bharti's lawyer Rishikesh Kumar had a spat with Barkha Singh after she had refused to allow him to represent Bharti in the proceedings.

Meanwhile, Bharti was seen flying kites during a kite flying festival organized by the Tourism Ministry.

Bharti and his supporters have been accused of illegally detaining Ugandan women and forcing them to undergo medical tests.

Bharti, however, has alleged that a sex trade and drug-peddling racket was flourishing in the locality with the help of foreign nationals.